Slave Lake residents could be back home by the weekend
Posted May 25, 2011 8:26 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Slave Lake officials have announced a plan that could see all residents of the wildfire-scorched town return home by the end of the week.
City TV reporter Alice Wu was in Slave lake on Wednesday when the announcement was made and tells 660News, that residents are happy to return home.
But, Wu says that a few residents are concerned that “a few days” could take longer than expected.
She adds that residents say they’re thankful for the emergency workers and the government for doing such a great job at getting them back as soon as possible.
The town isn’t deemed to be in danger from any more wildfires and the plan would allow people to go back in four controlled stages.
Power, natural gas, water and phone service have all been restored in areas of town that weren’t damaged by the inferno.
Slave Lake Mayor Karina Pillay-Kinnee says all essential service workers are being asked to come back right now.
“So critical people with health services, your utilities, your infrastructure people, our governance people,” she explains. “All the key people we need to support the re-entry of everybody else.”
After that, owners, managers and workers at key businesses like grocery stores will be allowed back in, with the general public to follow soon after that.
A local state of emergency is still in effect though and RCMP will turn back all those people not yet clear to enter.
